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. >> chuck hagel and the battle for the pentagon. >> the good news is, for the first time in many years, republicans and democrats seem ready to tackle this problem together. >> the immigration problem. has somebody been reading exit polls? >> too many children are dying. too many children. >> also, the fight over -- over guns. >> law-abiding gun owners will not accept blame for the acts of violence or deranged criminals. >> the word on hillary in 2016. will she or won't she? >> i have no plans to run. >> thursday was not a good day for chuck hagel, president obama's choice to be his next offensive material. his old pal and fellow vietnam veteran john mccain jumped all over him for opposing the search --the surge in iraq. >> were you correct or not to say that the surge would be the month dangerous foreign policy blunder since vietnam? correct or incorrect? yes or no? are you going to answer the question? the question is, where you're right or wrong? that is a pretty straightforward question. i would like for you to answer whether you were right or wrong, and then you are free to elabor
. >> chuck hagel and the battle for the pentagon. >> the good news is, for the first time in many years, republicans and democrats seem ready to tackle this problem together. >> the immigration problem. has somebody been reading exit polls? >> too many children are dying. too many children. >> also, the fight over -- over guns. >> law-abiding gun owners will not accept blame for the acts of violence or deranged criminals. >> the word on hillary in 2016....
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Feb 3, 2013
02/13
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for obvious reasons, the pentagon have made their own case to the president. with the new resource problem home -- problem in mali. look what it took to support french forces against al qaeda subcontractors. if we can't do that, when americans are held hostage and killed, what kind of response do you really expect for -- >> is that a consequence of the u.s. not getting involved in mali earlier? >> what is the implication from that? that we need to be involved -- >> we were concerned about molly for at least eight months. only now there is discussion about what we should -- >> have another discussion on benghazi for the thousandth time. >> we are in the in danger -- in no danger of intervening too much. that is not what we have to worry about. >> let's move on. if you have a question, raise your hands and identify yourself. keep your questions short. let's go to -- then this woman right here in the black. >> as joshua said, syria is part of a broader middle east. what would be the position of the u.s. when lebanon, jordan, maybe israel and the whole region woul
for obvious reasons, the pentagon have made their own case to the president. with the new resource problem home -- problem in mali. look what it took to support french forces against al qaeda subcontractors. if we can't do that, when americans are held hostage and killed, what kind of response do you really expect for -- >> is that a consequence of the u.s. not getting involved in mali earlier? >> what is the implication from that? that we need to be involved -- >> we were...
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Feb 10, 2013
02/13
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if it comes down to that, higher taxes or sequestration, the pentagon cuts, where do you you go? where do you come down? >> obviously i don't want to see taxes increased but what i would like to see is the president call the leaders over to the white house and say look, we got to solve this problem. this sequestration, secretary panetta, outgoing secretary of defense is one of the most widely respected men or person in washington, d.c. and he has been saying this nationalstate our nation security. republicans and democrats are responsible for this new cliff and i will take responsibility tore it for the republicans but we he have got to avoid it. we have got to stop it. >> chris: but if the president says the price of that is more taxes? >> the president is the same one that during the campaign said it's not going to happen. remember that? he just dismissed it. and a lot of us, in fact, lindsey graham and kelly ayotte and i were traveling around the country warning what is going to happen with sequestration. it is devastating. the world is dangerous. i'm sorry i'm a little emotio
if it comes down to that, higher taxes or sequestration, the pentagon cuts, where do you you go? where do you come down? >> obviously i don't want to see taxes increased but what i would like to see is the president call the leaders over to the white house and say look, we got to solve this problem. this sequestration, secretary panetta, outgoing secretary of defense is one of the most widely respected men or person in washington, d.c. and he has been saying this nationalstate our nation...
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Feb 1, 2013
02/13
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views of being an honest broker to find a solution to the two-state israel-palestine conflict and the pentagon reform needs to be on the table that we have more nuclear weapons than we need in the 21st century. those are all very mainstream views among national security experts and the american people at large. what is going on here is you have some republicans not trying to redefine the mainstream out from under the american people. >> john: i can't help but think that john mccain and chuck hagel once voted for donald rumsfeld not long ago. now you spent time on the campaign. what was their relationship then. >> the relationship was closer--it was close really from the beginning. back in the 1999 when i was a correspondent for a network we won't name in which john mccain and chuck hagel and then secretary cohen, a bunk of us reporters went to brussels. there was john mccain chatting with the brass and he would make time for chuck hagel. he said give time to my friend chuck hagel who was a new senator who we thought didn't know anything about foreign policy. now he's the first to endorse mccai
views of being an honest broker to find a solution to the two-state israel-palestine conflict and the pentagon reform needs to be on the table that we have more nuclear weapons than we need in the 21st century. those are all very mainstream views among national security experts and the american people at large. what is going on here is you have some republicans not trying to redefine the mainstream out from under the american people. >> john: i can't help but think that john mccain and...
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Feb 3, 2013
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why does barack obama want him in the pentagon in the first place? >> here's the thing, i think his stumbling, we're focusing on how he stumbled. the trouble was the peek into his world view and it is the president's world view we are seeing in the second term and that containment exchange was frontal and centre in this. what does -- front and center in this. containment means we'll allow a nuclear iran and contain it and not prevent it and people are concept cam whether the white house will actually use -- keep the military option on the table to prevent a nuclear iran. y it goes to the question of, does hagel see the u.s. military, a strong u.s. military as a force for good, for leadership in this world? and you get the sense from this and his comments, ala bob woodward and the "washington post" and the exchange he had with president obama, he doesn't, he sees it as a new world order and we are, leading from behind and he didn't exactly say it and it comes when leon panetta points out the threat of the man-pads, the anti-aircraft attack missiles th
why does barack obama want him in the pentagon in the first place? >> here's the thing, i think his stumbling, we're focusing on how he stumbled. the trouble was the peek into his world view and it is the president's world view we are seeing in the second term and that containment exchange was frontal and centre in this. what does -- front and center in this. containment means we'll allow a nuclear iran and contain it and not prevent it and people are concept cam whether the white house...
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Feb 1, 2013
02/13
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the pentagon has moved expand its cyber security efforts. i have to talk about colorado. the air force academy is well positioned to train those new experts. would you talk a little more on your take on cyber security and what sort of resources we need. >> i've been to those facilities in colorado a few times and don't know as much about them as you do, but i am familiar with them. they are essential to our national security. cyber, i believe represents as big a threat to the security of this country as any one specific threat. for all the reasons this committee understands. it's an insidious, quiet, kind of a threat that we have never quite seen before. it can paralyze a nation in a second. not just a power grid or banking system. but it can knock out satellites. it can take down computers on all our carrier battle ships and do tremendous damage to our national security apparatus. that is the larger threat. but when you start defining it down, this body, i know. i watched it. it went through a pretty agonizing three months at the end of 2012 trying to find a bill they co
the pentagon has moved expand its cyber security efforts. i have to talk about colorado. the air force academy is well positioned to train those new experts. would you talk a little more on your take on cyber security and what sort of resources we need. >> i've been to those facilities in colorado a few times and don't know as much about them as you do, but i am familiar with them. they are essential to our national security. cyber, i believe represents as big a threat to the security of...
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Feb 13, 2013
02/13
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his serve and the defense policy board of the pentagon as co-chairman of the president's intelligence advisory board, not to mention all the things that have been said about his service in vietnam and his heroism as an enlisted man. so i think -- i understand that people disagree with his position on certain issues and therefore everybody has the right to vote in the way it they say, but the concern that i have is the suggestion that this man who has served his country really since he was a young man and it listed in vietnam is not qualified to be the secretary of defense, i think is just not accurate and reflects certainly a different understanding of his background and his experience that i have. so i intend to vote for him. think he will be an excellent secretary of defense, and the help of we will confirm of. >> thank you, senator. >> thank you, mr. chairman. it think the members of the committee. first, let me say up front that i think all of us deeply respect the senators service to his country in vietnam and service in this body. we know that there are always difficult decision
his serve and the defense policy board of the pentagon as co-chairman of the president's intelligence advisory board, not to mention all the things that have been said about his service in vietnam and his heroism as an enlisted man. so i think -- i understand that people disagree with his position on certain issues and therefore everybody has the right to vote in the way it they say, but the concern that i have is the suggestion that this man who has served his country really since he was a...
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Feb 3, 2013
02/13
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joining me now, a member of the bush pentagon's defense policy board, michael hastings author of the new digital book "panic 2012, the sublime and terrifying inside story of obama's final campaign ♪ ♪ barbara siegel, also washington correspondent for the middle east website al monitor.com. great to have you all here. >> thank you. >> so i am -- well, where to start? i think the lessons unlearned to me was the most troubling. it seemed to me we had a moment in 2008 particularly in which president obama articulated this kind of alternative foreign policy vision and did so quite forthrightly. for instance, negotiations with iran and ahmadinejad. and somehow four years later, we've moved backwards, right? the old -- i guess as we've gotten further away from the debacle of iraq, as that's more remote in people's memory, there's more and more the sense of iraq ended up okay and you saw this -- i thought it was so interesting, it was the relitigation of the surge. because that in some ways is this key narrative plot point that somehow redeem tess entire war. and so you saw, for instance
joining me now, a member of the bush pentagon's defense policy board, michael hastings author of the new digital book "panic 2012, the sublime and terrifying inside story of obama's final campaign ♪ ♪ barbara siegel, also washington correspondent for the middle east website al monitor.com. great to have you all here. >> thank you. >> so i am -- well, where to start? i think the lessons unlearned to me was the most troubling. it seemed to me we had a moment in 2008...
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Feb 4, 2013
02/13
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he did not know what his own policy was, he is going to be the head of the pentagon. well it raises questions on shows like this but it will not affect --. >>chris: it would not raise a question in your mind? >>guest: he because not as crisp as he might have been but he misspoke it wasn't as if he projected a real difference on policy with the administration. what matters is how he performs as secretary of state. behalf nature set the bar high and i think chuck hagel will clear that bar. >>chris: laura, during his testimony he did not seem to know or think much about major issues of the pentagon or funding and he calls the iranian government elected? >>guest: the russians and chinese were it will watching how this played out because bill kristol was right saying it was not second rate performance it could have been the worst performance that ever took place at a confirmation hearing and that is saying something. as the secretary of defense it should not be that you won two purple hearts in battle. his patriotism is not questioned. merit should count. he is going to ha
he did not know what his own policy was, he is going to be the head of the pentagon. well it raises questions on shows like this but it will not affect --. >>chris: it would not raise a question in your mind? >>guest: he because not as crisp as he might have been but he misspoke it wasn't as if he projected a real difference on policy with the administration. what matters is how he performs as secretary of state. behalf nature set the bar high and i think chuck hagel will clear that...
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want to start with a washington battle on full display this week when the president's pick to head the pentagon, former republican senator chuck hagel, came under fire from members of his own party during a very contentious confirmation hearing. >> name one person in your opinion who's intim nated by the israeli lobby in the united states senate. >> are we right or wrong? that's a pretty straightforward question. >> senator hagel, please answer the question i asked. today, do you think unilateral sanctions would be a bad idea? >> all this raising questions about how effective chuck hagel will be if confirmed as secretary of defense. earlier this weekend, i sat down for a rare joint interview with the top military leadership issue the outgoing secretary of defense leon panetta and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff general martin dempsey. >>> secretary panetta, welcome back to "meet the press." general dempsey, welcome. let me start with the man that is poised to take your place. he underwent on thursday a pretty tough round of questioning. he seemed to struggle with a lot of the answers.
want to start with a washington battle on full display this week when the president's pick to head the pentagon, former republican senator chuck hagel, came under fire from members of his own party during a very contentious confirmation hearing. >> name one person in your opinion who's intim nated by the israeli lobby in the united states senate. >> are we right or wrong? that's a pretty straightforward question. >> senator hagel, please answer the question i asked. today, do...
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Feb 15, 2013
02/13
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most likely he's going to pass and be secretary of defense, so why hold him up over a recess when the pentagon desperately needs somebody at the helm? >> because in a funny sort of way, joe, it's exactly what mccain said. it's a way of getting their pound of flesh. >> julian, pound of flesh. is that really what this is all about? given that our troops deserve a leader because they serve with every ounce of their bodies, they give their bodies. >> well, i don't know that they will get a pound of flesh and it is a rizable reason. politics is about picking good fights. this is a fight the republicans will lose and it's a bad fight and you wonder why after what's happened to the republican party they continue to pick bad fights they're going to lose. they're going to lose, one, because there's pressing security issues. two, because there's no precedent for holding up a secretary of defense. and, three, you ask about mccain's principles here. mccain has uttered four different conflicting positions since february 4th about whether, in fact, he would filibuster the hagel nomination. it's i am possibm
most likely he's going to pass and be secretary of defense, so why hold him up over a recess when the pentagon desperately needs somebody at the helm? >> because in a funny sort of way, joe, it's exactly what mccain said. it's a way of getting their pound of flesh. >> julian, pound of flesh. is that really what this is all about? given that our troops deserve a leader because they serve with every ounce of their bodies, they give their bodies. >> well, i don't know that they...
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also, earlier today, i asked you about the bloated pentagon. you said that -- those comments were before the sequestration bill passed. they were after the bill passed. sequestration passed on august 2 and the interview was on august 29. what you said on august 29 of -- in that "financial times" interview you said "the defense department, i think -- this is your quote "the defense department is bloated. let's look at the reality is that the defense department has gotten everything they wanted and more. we've taken priority, we've taken dollars, policies out of the state department and a number of other departments and put them over in defense. " that comment was after the sequestration. now, 18 months later if this nomination is approved it would be running and again -- where do we find those bloated things in the defense department and when will are you prioritizing? another way to ask what mrs. fisher was asking, are we going to let money drive strategy or strategy drive the money? as secretary of defense, which of those possessions are you g
also, earlier today, i asked you about the bloated pentagon. you said that -- those comments were before the sequestration bill passed. they were after the bill passed. sequestration passed on august 2 and the interview was on august 29. what you said on august 29 of -- in that "financial times" interview you said "the defense department, i think -- this is your quote "the defense department is bloated. let's look at the reality is that the defense department has gotten...
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Feb 10, 2013
02/13
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and, the pentagon will be hit, too. they propose a mix of spending cuts and, yes, more taxes, through limiting deductions, for the wealthy. i sat down late friday with house democratic leader nancy pelosi and asked her about the fast-approaching deadline. congressman pelosi, welcome back to fox news sunday. >> welcome to the capitol. >> chris: the white house says, sequestration will have a severe effect on many americans. house republicans agree. but they say the answer is to find other spending cuts, not tax hikes. >> well, i think that the sequestration is a bad idea, all around. it is something that is out of the question. the fact is, we have had plenty of spending cuts, $1.6 trillion in the budget control act. what we need is growth, growth with jobs and if you have spending cuts, education of our children, other investments, where you are hindering growth, you are no going to reduce the deficit. so, what we do need is more revenue, and more cuts, but i would like to see that a big, balanced, bold proposal. and sh
and, the pentagon will be hit, too. they propose a mix of spending cuts and, yes, more taxes, through limiting deductions, for the wealthy. i sat down late friday with house democratic leader nancy pelosi and asked her about the fast-approaching deadline. congressman pelosi, welcome back to fox news sunday. >> welcome to the capitol. >> chris: the white house says, sequestration will have a severe effect on many americans. house republicans agree. but they say the answer is to find...
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Feb 3, 2013
02/13
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. >> chuck hagel andhe battle for the pentagon. >> the good ws is, for the first timen many years republican and democrats seem ready to tackle this problem together. >> the immigration problem. has somebody been reading exit polls? >> too many children are dying. too many children. >> also, the fight over guns. >> law-abiding gun owners will not accept blame for the acts of violence or deranged criminals. >> and the word on hillary in 2016. ll she or won't she? >> i have no pls to run. >> thursday was not a good day for chucuck hagel, president obama's choice to be his next def ense secretary. his old pal and fellow vietnam veteran john mccain jump all over him for opposing the surge in iraq. >> were you correct or incorrect when you said that th surge would be the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country sincecorrect or incorrect? yes or no? >> my reference to -- >> are you going to answer the question? the questions, were you right or wrong? that is a pretty sime question. i would like for you to answer right or wrong, then you are free to elaborate. >> i am nott going to giv
. >> chuck hagel andhe battle for the pentagon. >> the good ws is, for the first timen many years republican and democrats seem ready to tackle this problem together. >> the immigration problem. has somebody been reading exit polls? >> too many children are dying. too many children. >> also, the fight over guns. >> law-abiding gun owners will not accept blame for the acts of violence or deranged criminals. >> and the word on hillary in 2016. ll she or...
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. >> what more can be done from your perspective on the pentagon's role in securing our embassies? we just had a near suicide attack, if you will, suicide bomber, at an embassy in turkey just last week. what can be done more than what has been done now? >> the important things to do are first of all you've got to build up the host country capacity. in the end, these embassies do depend on host country, the details that provide security. so you've got to try to develop that. >> this shouldn't be more marines? >> no, no. let me get the rest of the part of it. you have to harden these embassies as much as possible. and third, we have been working with the state department to determine whether additional marines ought to be assigned to that area. and in the end, the final alternative is our ability to respond in having our troops in a position where they can respond quickly. but i have to tell you, a lot of that still is dependent on whether intelligence tells us that we've got a big problem, and gives us enough warning so that we can get to the place to respond. >> did you have enough
. >> what more can be done from your perspective on the pentagon's role in securing our embassies? we just had a near suicide attack, if you will, suicide bomber, at an embassy in turkey just last week. what can be done more than what has been done now? >> the important things to do are first of all you've got to build up the host country capacity. in the end, these embassies do depend on host country, the details that provide security. so you've got to try to develop that. >>...
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assume that he gets confirmed, he has to be a tough -- a tough guy at the pentagon. he is going to be tough with congress. he has to deal with the potential of the sequester, fighting for the budget that he does get, dealing with all of the problems that come at you when you are in charge of the pentagon and the generals and the other members of the joint chiefs are going to feel they can run over him. >> we'll see about that. i assume that every general with any number of stars was watching intently yesterday, and might have had that thought in mind. you said another important word, which is sequester. it's going to be a huge mess over there trying to, first, anticipate this, and then deal with whatever the new reality is. i do think that it was ugly yesterday. it was ugly on both sides. the white house wasn't so much from what i heard defending his performance as saying that those mean republicans also performed in an ugly and bad and not very attractive way. i don't think anybody looked particularly good in that showdown. i also think it's very clear that this is,
assume that he gets confirmed, he has to be a tough -- a tough guy at the pentagon. he is going to be tough with congress. he has to deal with the potential of the sequester, fighting for the budget that he does get, dealing with all of the problems that come at you when you are in charge of the pentagon and the generals and the other members of the joint chiefs are going to feel they can run over him. >> we'll see about that. i assume that every general with any number of stars was...
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Feb 9, 2013
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can the pentagon survive budget cuts or are secretary panetta's worries on the mark? mort zuckerman. >> yes, i think they can survive it. they have a gigantic budget. they have to get their funds spent in the right priority. a lot of people feel we're going to have to cut costs out of virtually every department. we cannot ignore it. everybody comes one a case why we should spend money, and nobody comes one a case why we should raise the money to do it. we have to do something to get our budgets under control because otherwise this whole thing is going to explode. >> how does our military compare with mill fares around the world? >> we have about 1 million in the active owe. >> 1.2 million active -- 1.4 active duty, or something. but, john, if panetta is correct, why does the vice president the united states propose a different set of cuts for the same amount of money if it is going to savage the defense budget? he has not come forward with. that clearly this is a meat axe approach. it's not the right approach, but frankly it's the only way the republicans are going to
can the pentagon survive budget cuts or are secretary panetta's worries on the mark? mort zuckerman. >> yes, i think they can survive it. they have a gigantic budget. they have to get their funds spent in the right priority. a lot of people feel we're going to have to cut costs out of virtually every department. we cannot ignore it. everybody comes one a case why we should spend money, and nobody comes one a case why we should raise the money to do it. we have to do something to get our...
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and you know i'm qualified for this job to be the head of the pentagon, defense secretary. it was almost like he was stunned by it. your thoughts. >> i think you're right. i think it was very personal. i was stunned by it, too. especially the way mccain kept pursuing it and pursuing it. clearly, john wanted chuck to say yes, i was wrong and you were right. and of course the verdict of history, as hagel tried to say, is still out on that. and frankly, in my view as a soldier, the surge had almost nothing to do with the actual increase in american troops. what it had to do was the coincidence of a number of things that were already moving in iraq. not least of which was the awakening. and it had to do with very frankly a general by the name of david petraeus taking advantage of this in order to enhance his own reputation. and as far as i'm concerned, the increase in troops had nothing to do with the change in the situation in iraq except that it got a bunch of them killed, as senator hagel was careful to point out. >> and that is paralleling his opening comments, which you ta
and you know i'm qualified for this job to be the head of the pentagon, defense secretary. it was almost like he was stunned by it. your thoughts. >> i think you're right. i think it was very personal. i was stunned by it, too. especially the way mccain kept pursuing it and pursuing it. clearly, john wanted chuck to say yes, i was wrong and you were right. and of course the verdict of history, as hagel tried to say, is still out on that. and frankly, in my view as a soldier, the surge had...
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i first entered the pentagon in 1969 during the war in vietnam under melvin laird. jim schlesinger followed and i worked with every secretary of defense since that period of time. all different, all with their strengths and indeed some of their weaknesses, but set forth in this is a series of commitments to you as a committee, to the members of the full senate and to the american public as precisely what his goals are and what he will do. how he will serve the president, how he will give the president his best advice, and i know chuck to give it very strongly. so i am going to talk a little bit about crack hagel, the man i served with for 12 years. my distinguished colleague and longtime friend, sam, had gone when chuck arrived at the senate. first year he was here, we had daniel defense authorization -- the annual defense authorization bill on the floor, and in those days, as it is today, that bill goes on that floor, that bill stays on that floor. sometimes a couple days, sometimes a couple of weeks. we get it through. when it's done we go back to our committee's
i first entered the pentagon in 1969 during the war in vietnam under melvin laird. jim schlesinger followed and i worked with every secretary of defense since that period of time. all different, all with their strengths and indeed some of their weaknesses, but set forth in this is a series of commitments to you as a committee, to the members of the full senate and to the american public as precisely what his goals are and what he will do. how he will serve the president, how he will give the...
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Feb 20, 2013
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today secretary of defense leon panetta notified congress of the pentagon's plan to furlough 700,000 civilian employees, who, beginning in april, will be required to take one day off per week. in essence, a 20% pay cut. as for the current political geist, this seems to be more about political positioning rather than prevention. this afternoon, the president will sit down with local tv anchors to explain the adverse effects of the coming cuts. meanwhile, speaker john boehner is out with an op-ed in today's "wall street journal" entitled "the president is reigning against a budget crisis he created." the same budget crisis speaker boehner and 173 of his house republicans voted for back in 2011. as a reminder, this is how he described the deal at the time. >> you know, i got 98% of what i wanted. i'm pretty happy. >> what is making speaker boehner unhappy with the present situation? quote, no one should be talking about raising taxes when the government is still paying people to play video games, giving folks free cell phones, and buying $47,000 gre cigarette-smoking machines. joining m
today secretary of defense leon panetta notified congress of the pentagon's plan to furlough 700,000 civilian employees, who, beginning in april, will be required to take one day off per week. in essence, a 20% pay cut. as for the current political geist, this seems to be more about political positioning rather than prevention. this afternoon, the president will sit down with local tv anchors to explain the adverse effects of the coming cuts. meanwhile, speaker john boehner is out with an op-ed...